A Man Pretending to Have Coronavirus Cost His Employer $100,000: DOJ

Chung Sung-Jun/Getty

A Georgia man faked a positive coronavirus test to get out of work, which ended up shutting his workplace down entirely, the Justice Department alleges. Santwon Antonio Davis, 34, allegedly forged a medical excuse letter and told his unnamed employer, a Fortune 500 company, that he had contracted COVID-19. The claim came after he reportedly gave his boss a mounting series of excuses relating to his mother and the virus that his employer said did not interfere with his ability to work. As a result of his medical claim, the business shuttered its facilities in Atlanta, paid its employees during the closure, and had its buildings deep cleaned. The loss, according to the Justice Department, amounted to more than $100,000. Davis later admitted he did not have the disease.